Product Description

Our Bronze Salvation History Pendant is another unique and stunning depiction of the Crucified Christ. The intricacy and symbolic depth of this pendant make it an exquisite work of art. What a perfect gift for RCIA candidates being received into the Church.

A Pendant of Salvation History: Creation, Fall, and Redemption

At 1 inch, this solid bronze comes with a 28-inch black nylon cord. This is an especially favorite pendant for boys and men—designed and executed in exquisite detail by a master goldsmith in Germany—which tries to depict the whole of Salvation History in three events: Creation (symbolized by the sun and moon), the Fall (Adam and Eve at the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden) and Christ Crucified whose pierced side brings forth blood and water (symbols of the saving sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist-the means of our Redemption).

E Latere Christi—Blood and Water from the Side of Christ

Blood and water flows “from the side of Christ” (E latere Christi in Latin) which has been pierced by a Roman soldier (John 19:34). This flowing forth of blood and water symbolizes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. Mary stands at Christ’s right side and collects the flow of blood and water in a chalice. This is a rich symbol of the Eucharist: Christ’s blood sacrifice on the cross now remembered and reenacted in the celebration of every Eucharist. On the right side, the beginning of salvation history is recalled as Adam and Eve partake of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).

John 19:31-37

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”